An opposition party today urged Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to form an independent inquiry into the alleged rape of a 13-year-old Filipino girl at a detention centre.

Loke Siew Fook, acting national secretary of the Democratic Action Party youth wing, said the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) should head the investigations to rectify the good image of Malaysia.

"I'm sure that all Malaysians will condemn this crime in the strongest terms if the allegation is proven true and it's a shame for the country," he said in a statement.

Mahathir yesterday pledged swift action after Philippine President Gloria Arroyo complained in a letter to him that the migrant girl had been raped, reportedly by a policeman at a detention centre.

"The Malaysian government and I personally view with serious concern the allegation made by a Filipino minor (named) that she was a victim of sexual molestation in one of the detention centres in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah," Mahathir said in a statement.

'Not convincing enough'

Sabah state police chief Ramli Yusuff said yesterday police had formed a team to probe the rape allegation.

But Loke said a police-led investigation "is not convincing enough to be fair and independent as the allegations involved the members of the police force itself."

Loke said the setting up of an inquiry would show that Malaysia adheres to all United Nations conventions on human rights, especially on the rights of women and children.

Those found committing such a deplorable act in Malaysia must be prosecuted and punished, he said.

The girl who was allegedly raped was among 500 deportees who arrived in the southern Philippines aboard a coastguard vessel from Sabah on Tuesday, according to social workers there. They said she needed immediate psychological help.

The case is the latest cause of friction over Malaysia's crackdown on illegal immigrants, which has seen more than 380,000 people fleeing the country or being deported ahead of tough new punishments including jail and caning.

Malaysia's crackdown on illegal immigrants, who flock to the relatively wealthy Southeast Asian nation in search of jobs, has sparked protests in the Philippines and Indonesia.